Natalie Portman backstage at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards

by glow bass

The 68th annual Golden Globe Awards took place on January 16, 2011, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Here is what this Golden Globe winner said backstage in the Golden Globe Awards press room.

NATALIE PORTMAN

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

(“Black Swan”)

You play a ballet dancer in “Black Swan.” What was your previous ballet experience?

I took ballet until I was about 12 years old, and when I started acting, I stopped. But I resumed my training at 27 for this film, so I had a good 15-year break in between.

What did you learn about yourself in making “Black Swan”?

I think I learned how much I could work. I learned the extent of my discipline, which was put to the test every day by the rigors of the art form that I have so much new respect for, just getting a glimpse of what that lifestyle is like.

Do you have a certain routine in the morning that helps you focus?

I usually do some sort of physical something, and for this [“Black Swan”], obviously, because the training was so rigorous, we trained. And actually, every break we had in the film, my trainer, Mary Helen Bowers, would take me through a bar to keep me warm. We were doing bar, just all day long, staying warm and staying ready to dance so that I wouldn’t get injured at all, which luckily, there were no serious ones.

Which designer are you wearing?

This is Viktor & Rolf.

What is it about your role in “Black Swan” that you think has appealed to people and gotten you all of this wonderful praise?

I think people have been really connecting to that passion that people have when they are creating. And I think so many people identify with having that incredible lust for creating and the damage it can create in one’s body.

And also, you see someone growing up. She’s really someone who goes from being a child who’s told by others what to do, and is trying to please to someone who’s trying to find pleasure for herself. That’s universal. Everyone goes through that.

Are you thinking about the Oscars this year? Do you care about getting nominated and winning?

I think it’s an incredible honor, just because of the people who they talk about in the same breath. To be mentioned among all these women and these films this year is the greatest honor. And it’s the greatest honor to be able to go up to these people I admire so much and be able to tell them in person how much I love their work and what they’ve been doing. [I’m] just lucky to be in the room.

“Black Swan” is such a visceral experience. When you saw the movie for the first time, did you know how overwhelming to the senses it would be?

No. I had no idea. [“Black Swan” director] Darren Aronofsky is a true master, and I had no idea what he was doing. I was just focusing on this character, but I really had no clue what the tone of the film would be, the pace of the film. I was truly taken aback the first and only time I saw it. I only saw it once, at Venice with the audience. Yeah, it was a ride.

Do you remember what your first red-carpet experience was?

I remember I was 13 years old at the premiere of “The Professional.” And I remember I wore a Betsey Johnson dress that I had worn to a bar mitzvah two weeks before. And my mom bought me this coat that I thought was really beautiful that was faux-fur cow print. And I wore it feeling like the most glamorous person in the world, but it might have been a mistake. [She laughs.]

What advice do you have for young actors who want to some day be where you are now?

I think our job is all about empathy. It’s all about imagining someone else’s life for a certain amount of time that you get to think about their life and what are their daily worries, concerns, joys and fears. And if you go through your life caring about people in that way and thinking about what they go through on a daily basis, that’s the best training an actor can have.

What tips can you give people to stay fit and look as great as you do?

I don’t know. I guess just trying to make yourself happy. I’ve been swimming every day, which has been really, really wonderful. When I’m in my womb-like environment, I’m hoping the baby is feeling peaceful in its environment.